2019 was all about electrification, and this year saw multiple top car brands plugging into the trend. While Tesla’s Model 3 was by far the best-selling EV in America this year, we saw a strong showing from competitors with vehicles like the Ford Mustang Mach E, the Chevrolet Bolt, the Jaguar I-Pace, and the Volkswagen E-Golf making their debuts. The momentum will continue into 2020 as more EVs are on their way from Ford, Mercedes, Porsche, and Volvo, to name a few (and of course, recently revealed Tesla Cybertruck). Overall, 2019 changed the game for electric vehicles with cars reaching longer ranges on a single charge and consumers overcoming range anxiety.
We also saw how investment in new tech can translate into layoffs. 2019 turned out to be one of the worst years for auto workers, with Daimler and Audi announcing 20,000 job cuts this month. Those automakers joined with Nissan, Ford, and Nio, all recently announcing slashes in the workforce. And those numbers are only going to get worse. Bloomberg predicts more than 80,000 auto job cuts in the coming years. Many auto workers expressed their unrest over the last few months, with the UAW hosting one of the largest strikes of the decade against General Motors. The strike lasted for five weeks and ended in a new contract being ratified. The strike inspired others like Fiat Chrysler workers who recently came to a new labor agreement, getting better pay and health care from the company.
Electric vehicles aren’t just for the road: An air-shuttle service in Vancouver successfully tested what promises to be the first commercial aircraft powered entirely by batteries. And while the technology is currently only available for short flights, the plane-maker Airbus announced that it plans to start having its planes draft off each other — a test of whether tailgating can save fuel and cut emissions by up to 10 percent.
And we can’t forget about the heated scooter wars of 2019. Lime has grown rapidly over the last year, with over 100 million rides in September in 120 markets around the globe. The company is hoping to reach profitability in 2020. But the scooter company faces stiff competition from Bird, Spin, and Uber’s Jump, which have their own scooter fleets around the world. With more scooters littering the sidewalks, both local governments and city dwellers have conflicting opinions about the micro mobility options. Washington, DC, has decided to cut the number of scooter operators in half for next year following in line with other cities like Los Angeles which suspended Uber’s permit to rent scooters and bikes in the city. Whether you love them or hate them it seems the scooter wars are sure to continue into 2020.
Finally, off the Earth, It was a huge year for space travel. Virgin Galactic became the first commercial space tourism company to trade publicly on a stock exchange. While commercial travel to space once seemed like a far off idea, Virgin Galactic’s IPO signals more realistic confidence from investors. NASA meanwhile took steps toward putting men and women back on the Moon, unveiling the enormous Space Launch System rocket and pushing it to the limit in tests. We also saw the first all-female space walk in 2019 with engineers Christina Koch and Jessica Meir of NASA on the exterior of the International Space Station.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
U.S. sports betting is booming as NFL and college football fuel massive activity. BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt breaks down trends, growth, and what’s next.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
With a merger this big, creators, studios, and theaters all face uncertain futures. Here’s what experts are worried about and what good could come from it.
With disengagement rising and hybrid work shifting, 'Everybody Matters' author Bob Chapman explains why treating people well could define the future of work.
We sat down with Ali Furman, U.S. Consumer Markets Industry Leader at consulting firm PwC to ask what trends she garnered from the initial data this year.
